I Love You
by nyaxness
Summary: Can't make a better title. This is a one-shot based off something I read in class, but I changed it quite a lot. / / "When that last leaf falls, I will die, Amu." Be prepared for the feels.


**This is a oneshot based off something I read in my class textbook for Chinese lessons…I'm studying Chineeeeeeeeese~! But I changed it a whole damn lot.**

[…]

Hinamori Amu and Mashiro Rima were best of friends. Girlfriends. Babes. Homies. They were also both artists. Bankrupt artists.

Back in the day, designers, artists and those of sort were unappreciated, shunned, yet rare to be found. Their talent was always gone to waste, but these two girls, they tried, gave everything, but in the end, forfeited.

And so, artists were all 'banished' to one part of Kyoto, one building, housing also Fujisaki Naghiko and Fujisaki Nadeshiko, twins and traditional artists, Yuiki Yaya a fan of childish and fun craft projects and Sanjou Kairi a sculptor of clay, often making models of samurai. They were very close, sharing earnings and always hanging out together.

One especially bonechillingly cold winter, Rima fell sick with pneumonia. Amu scraped together all the money she could, and hired a doctor. Upon the meeting they shook hands.

"Hinamori Amu. Hajimehashite*."

"Hotori Kiseki. Likewise."

After the agonizingly long check-up, out of the room came a grim-faced doctor, who stated to the pinkette in a low, dry voice: "Your friend, she is in poor condition, medication will no longer help, what she needs is the motivation to live, something to push her." The amber eyed girl nodded handing the doctor a large sum of money who shook his head. "No, keep it, I am plenty rich already," Amu thanked him happily, as he went out the door. When the man was gone, she secretly shed tears of sadness.

Walking next to her best friend's sick bed, she started to draw. A portrait of memory, one of a happy, smiling Rima.

"Fi…f…th…"

Amu heard small murmurs from the lips of the blonde. Withdrawing from her unfinished work, she leaned toward Rima's side. "Rima-tan…are you alright?" she whispered near her ear.

"Five….four…three…two…one…." Rima stared out the window as she uttered these words.

"Rima, what is it?" Her friend responded in a hush tone. "When the last leaf falls, I will die, Amu…" her hand limply gestured to the window to the long spiraling creepers, slinking up the brick wall supported some autumn leaves. "N-nonsense!" Amu stuttered quickly "T-the doctor said you w-would recover very f-fast!" Rima closed her eyes. "We can only hope…"

That day, the news of Rima's sickness spread relatively quickly, the first to visit was Yaya. "Riiiimaaaa-chiiiiiii~"she whined "Get better sooooon, only your hair is light and pretty enough for me to play with~! Nadeshiko's is too straight and it's not flufffffy!" she than thrust a tacky, but heartfelt card at Rima who smiled and hugged the younger girl. "Thank you…"

The next to visit were the Fujisaki siblings. They brought Rima a bouquet of wild daisies, all sorts of beautiful colors. "Rima-san, Naghi and I arranged these, I hope you like them." The female of the two said. "Mm…" Rima nodded as acceptance and thanks as she accepted the gift. "Kairi sends his love, he's off on a job," Naghiko said flatly.

Amu ushered the two out of the room "Ne, I think there's something wrong with Rima," she said to the two. "Eh? Why?" asked a surprised Nadeshiko. "I don't know, she keeps saying that when the creepers* on the wall all fall off, she's gonna die, but….I can't make myself say it's not true…." The twins nodded grimly as they bid farewell to their friend, and left.

That night the wind blew fiercely, the harsh whistles rattling at the weak window panes. Rain beat down onto their roof as every hour of the night. A frustrated Amu sat next to Rima, checking her breathing as she coughed and spluttered occasionally.

3 days later, Amu with her own eyes, watched one of the leaves, float to the ground, only to be swept away by the wind, but the last one, it held strong, clung to the wall.

A week past and almost every day the storm was wild, relentless, volatile, never taking a break. But that leaf? It was still there. Steady with quiet confidence.

No one left their homes, unless they were short of food and day by day, the myth of the leaf was forgotten.

Waking up one okay day, Amu decided to hurry out to the mail. They received many newspaper updates, walking past the last leaf on the wall, she smiled. Maybe the leaf gave Rima the motivation to live, the strength as it held on, steadfast.

The gleam in Rima's golden eyes seemed to return as Amu updated her with the happenings in the town. Amu picked up one copy that was the only one not damp with rain. "Rima-chan, this is the last one now~" Amu chirped happy to have her friend almost normal. Before reading, the pinkette skimmed the paper, gradually, her expression turned crestfallen. "A-Amu, what is it?" Rima asked, face flooding with worry. "Tell me. Now" Her voice was stern. Amu shuddered as she read aloud the newspaper headline

"_**L-LOWLY ARTIST FALLS VICTIM TO PNEUMONIA**__." _

Rima finally spoke."Read on."

Amu proceeded. "Strong-willed artist F-Fujisaki Naghiko dies of terrible sickness that seems to haunt Japan for this month. He was found d-dead outside his home with a small paper bag of colored pencils in his hand, consisting of green, yellow and brown watercolours." Amu stopped to look at Rima, who was expressionless. "I thought you wanted to update me about the town's happenings. Go on." Came the blunt reply.

"Investigating further, authorities have found a red brick wall with a smudged drawing of a fall-leaf. We have interviewed Fujisaki-san's sister, Fujisaki Nadeshiko. "My brother went out every night during this weather, he never told me why, but I think I know why he did this." She has said. Pneumonia is quite a threat, especially to citizens around Kyoto. R-report by Yuu Nikaido…"

"Na…ghiko…." Came a hushed whisper. Turning to look at Rima now, Amu saw her usually so headstrong friend smiling as hot tears trailed down her cheek, trying to hold back more tears that threatened to came down her face in a wet mess. "Naghiko…." Her voice was barely audible. "I…I love you..too…."

[…]

**This is sad….**

**Hajimemashite- Kinda like 'how are you' but you say it when you meet someone**

**Creepers- Yes that is the actual word~**


End file.
